1080 and NJICS

[RatRadio]

I'm having a problem trying to receive NJICS (and the Morris County system) on my 1080. It was working fine and then I was out of the area for several months. When I returned, neither system would stop on any talkgroups. The "T" flashes on both systems but no talkgroups are received. Site option is set to Auto Fill on both. I have erased and reloaded the systems twice using EZ Scan. It receives other statewide systems while traveling so I don't think it's the radio. Any help is appreciated.

 

[tvengr]

Please attach your configuration file so that we can take a look at it. Click on Attach files and open the file. Morris County recently had some big changes.

 

[RatRadio]

Please attach your configuration file so that we can take a look at it. Click on Attach files and open the file. Morris County recently had some big changes.

I tried to upload what I believe is the correct folder (CDAT_VS.001), but it won't let me attach it. Is there a specific file I should be looking for?

 

[tvengr]

The Whistler CDAT files are already zipped so attaching them should not be a problem. What I need to see is the configuration file you send to the scanner to program it. If the file won't attach, you must be trying to attach the WS1080/WS1088 EZ Scan programming software file. That file is too big to attach.

 

[Roodog2k]

I'm having a problem trying to receive NJICS (and the Morris County system) on my 1080. It was working fine and then I was out of the area for several months. When I returned, neither system would stop on any talkgroups. The "T" flashes on both systems but no talkgroups are received. Site option is set to Auto Fill on both. I have erased and reloaded the systems twice using EZ Scan. It receives other statewide systems while traveling so I don't think it's the radio. Any help is appreciated.

I'm having the same issue with both Morris and Passaic counties. I think it's because the 1080 has issues with simulcast systems, but I'm far from an expert.

 

[policefreak]

Spoken like a true New Jerseyan, if you have a Whistler WS 1080 and you are not within a mile line of sight of a tower on a P25 simulcast system, then you can fuggedaboudit! It doesn't matter what antenna or paper clip you use, what number your DSP is set at, FM vs NFM, etc. It's going to sound like crap most of the time.

 

[Roodog2k]

Spoken like a true New Jerseyan, if you have a Whistler WS 1080 and you are not within a mile line of sight of a tower on a P25 simulcast system, then you can fuggedaboudit! It doesn't matter what antenna or paper clip you use, what number your DSP is set at, FM vs NFM, etc. It's going to sound like crap most of the time.

I bought a Remtronix 800B. I received it today.

I actually am less than a mile away from the Ramapo tower, can see it from my house.

Anyway, not expecting much I put it on my 1080. It's a noticeable improvement. Still having simulcast issues, but I am receiving more. I can see that the scanner is hearing the control frequency better, because I am getting a solid "T" on the display. If I stop on an object and walk around the house, I can better see where the dead spots are.

I had been using a Diamond RH77CA.

Before I buy a SDS100, I wanted to be sure it'll work inside my house without an external antenna. Looks like it checks out.

 

[policefreak]

I bought a Remtronix 800B. I received it today.

I actually am less than a mile away from the Ramapo tower, can see it from my house.

Anyway, not expecting much I put it on my 1080. It's a noticeable improvement. Still having simulcast issues, but I am receiving more. I can see that the scanner is hearing the control frequency better, because I am getting a solid "T" on the display. If I stop on an object and walk around the house, I can better see where the dead spots are.

I had been using a Diamond RH77CA.

Before I buy a SDS100, I wanted to be sure it'll work inside my house without an external antenna. Looks like it checks out.

Yea go sell that 1080 and get a SDS100. You should notice a marked improvement and very little if any skipping and missing transmissions that comes from the 1080.

 

[mshumeyk]

Before I buy a SDS100, I wanted to be sure it'll work inside my house without an external antenna. Looks like it checks out.

The Remtronix 800mhz SMA specifically for the SDS100 does do markedly better than the stock antenna on 700 and 800mhz systems.

 

[Roodog2k]

The Remtronix 800mhz SMA specifically for the SDS100 does do markedly better than the stock antenna on 700 and 800mhz systems.

I've heard that and I wanted to validate/verify it'll work inside my house. Very noticeable difference on the 1080. I'll be pulling the trigger soon.

 

[Roodog2k]

Yea go sell that 1080 and get a SDS100. You should notice a marked improvement and very little if any skipping and missing transmissions that comes from the 1080.

So, I bought my wife a sapphire ring that matches her wedding band for our anniversary. I asked for the SDS100.

I just got it today. Huge difference. I was concerned about how well I could hear the towers, but it seems I can hear West Orange in addition to Morris and Passaic.

So, I can now hear tons of stuff I hadn't heard before. Learning Sentinel was pretty easy, the hard part is that the database tree is a little different... the "object-oriented" aspect of the 800/1080 EZ Scan software was always clunky and counter-intuitive.

 

[mshumeyk]

So, I can now hear tons of stuff I hadn't heard before.

Congratulations! As you get more familiar with your SDS100 you may want to purchase the ProScan software if you don't already have it. While most use Sentinel for most favorite lists as well as updating the database and firmware, there are some nice features with Proscan you might find helpful. The Virtual Control with Logging feature is nice with the NJICS, as it provides and records information as to what talkgroups are carried by which sites, always or only some of the time. Logging also allows you to see when a new unidentified talkgroup is received.

Secondly, you've probably noticed that Sentinel groups all talkgroups in a county listing as a single "department. You can set talkgroups you do not want to scan on "avoid", but if you frequently vary which talkgroups in your county you want to scan, you'll have to do a lot of "avoiding" and "stop avoiding". It's much easier if you break up the county into smaller departments, like "my town", "neighboring towns", "south county", etc. You can do this within Sentinel, but I have found subdividing a county department is easier and quicker with ProScan. You turn departments off and on by using the quick key you have assigned.

Finally, while you can use Proscan to modify a favorites list created in Sentinel, you can use also use Proscan to create a completely new favorites list by downloading data directly from radioreference. You download only those sites and talkgroups you want, so you don't have to delete or set avoids on undesired talkgroups.

Anyway, those are just a couple of things that I found helpful. There are plenty of tips out there from more experienced users. Have fun!

 

[Roodog2k]

Thanks for the tip on Proscan. I was surprised that I can receive the West Orange simulcast where I am but not Morris. I'd like to measure that better. Although, it seems that I can only hear the WO site in my bedroom.

A feature I like is the location and range. Playing around with that is how I discovered I can hear the West Orange site. So, I don't have to worry about ignoring towers. If I go to a different location, I can just put in the zip code and it takes care of itself. I've had that 1080 since it came out (again, technically it's an upgraded 800) and before that, a Pro 95 (another GRECOM scanner) I got in 2006. So, I've been in their ecosystem for almost 20 years. I've had Uniden analog scanners since the 90s. I was superficially aware of how the HomePatrol scanners worked, but now I don't have to manually enable or disable sites. (If I understand that feature properly).

With the 1080, I created scanlists for my town, neighboring towns, 2m and 440 repeaters. It also worked for talkgroups too, so I totally follow what you're saying with favorites. Create a group of 10 favorites and then enable the ones you want to hear, sort of like scan sets.

The 1080 has the added complexity of the "virtual scanner." Scanlists, scansets, and virtual scanners overcomplicated things for a lot of people, I think. I'd use the virtual scanner feature mostly to roll back if something went wrong with an update.

I'm going to keep my RR subscription, bc I am going to keep my 1080 anyhow (it does DMR) and I have my 125. I run the 125 for the analog non-trunked stuff and 2m 440 repeaters.

I bought the Arc125 SW for that scanner, which does a great job at extending the features.

I wonder if I bought the Proscan SW if I could use both at the same time?

As a side note, the battery life is quite surprising. It's been running since 8am with my 125. I've had to replace the 125 batteries once (I am Mr. Eneloop). I'm still debating about getting a second battery and a charger.

 

[mshumeyk]

Thanks for the tip on Proscan.

You're welcome. The Proscan license allows you to have the software installed on two computers. The number of scanners you can program is unlimited. I have used many of the Butel ARC softwares for Uniden scanners over the years. My 396XLT remains my all time favorite pre P25P2 scanner and I still use it for marine and air, although most public safety in my locale is on the NJICS.

I did purchase an extra SDS100 battery and charger, but honestly I can't recall the last time I had to switch batteries because I ran out of juice. How much you need the extra battery and charger depends on how and where you use the scanner. They are worth it if you spend significant time away from power or don't want to be tethered to the power source. If you find your battery rarely dies with your use pattern you can get by those few times with an external USB battery pack that has sufficient output. I'm retired now and spend considerable time outside, so I treated myself to a Unication G5 which is easy to carry on your belt or in your pocket for outside use.

The SDS100 can charge while it is on, but you must enable that feature in the "settings" under "battery". If the charge light is red while listening the unit is charging.

You should be aware that one of the most commonly damaged parts of the SDS100 is the battery clip on the bottom of the unit. Mine broke when I dropped the radio on a tile floor. I found a perfect 3D printer created replacement on Etsy that is in good shape after 2 years. You can now find replacements on Amazon and other places costing twice of what you can get on Etsy for around $10.

Just a fun fact, when the SDS100 was first released the battery was smaller, flush with the back of the unit. Battery life was poor, hence the larger battery which was supplied without charge to those of us who had the original battery.

Happy monitoring!

 

[Roodog2k]

I had seen people complain about the design of the battery compartment. I'll be careful...

Back to favorites... if I were to create a categories (NJSP, Medevac, DEP....) and let's say I make 10 categories, will that be inefficient when scanning? That is, will the scanner go to favorites list 1 and scan through the control channels (I'm only using the Passaic Simulcast). So, if the scanner is on "DEP" favorite and a NJSP talkgroup I have in another favorite is active, will I miss it?

 

[GTR8000]

Create a single Favorites list containing a single System with a single Site, then create Departments within that single system for however you wish to organize the talkgroups. It doesn't matter how many Departments and Talkgroups you have within that single Favorite/System, it won't affect scanning efficiency. The scanner dwells on the control channel waiting for talkgroup grants before tuning to traffic channels, so it really makes no difference how few or many entries you have; it's not actually scanning through them all. Trunked scanning is a much different beast than conventional scanning.